The status of Otomys orestes dollmani Heller, 1912 (Muridae: Otomyinae), a rodent described from the Mathews Range, central Kenya

JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

The status of Otomys orestes dollmani Heller, 1912 (Muridae: Otomyinae), a rodent described from the Mathews Range, central Kenya

Carleton, Michael D.; Byrne, E. Schaefer

Date:2006

Abstract:

Morphological and morphometric comparisons of Otomys
orestes dollmani, known only from Mount Gargues in the Mathews Range,
central Kenya, indicate that the taxon is a valid species distinct from other
African forms under which it has been previously synonymized (O.
irroratus, O. orestes, O. tropicalis). Based also on these comparisons, the
morphological recognition and distribution of O. orestes (including thomasi
Osgood) are further clarified in relation to O. tropicalis (including elgonis
Wroughton) in Kenyan mountains and O. typus proper in Ethiopian
highlands; another taxon relegated to junior synonymy within O. typus, O.
uzungwensis Lawrence and Loveridge from south-central Tanzania, is
resurrected to species. Certain traditional characters used in Otomys
taxonomy, in particular molar lamination, demonstrate conservative
patterns of variation that complement spatial structure derived from
morphometric analyses of craniometric data and that vindicate their
continued utility in delimiting species. We argue that uncritical emphasis
of polytypic species, applied following the biological species concept during
the latter 1900s, has led to chronic underestimation of species diversity of
Otomys confined to the Afromontane Biotic Region in eastern Africa, in
particular those populations that inhabit afroalpine environments.